Garter



Sept. 417, 1968 B. NYSTEN 3,401,406

@ARTER Filed Jan. 14, 1966 United States Patent O 3,401,406 CARTER Bernhard Nysten, Aachen, Germany, assignor to Wilham Prym-Werke K.G., Stolberg, Rhineland, Germany Filed Jan. 14, 1966, Ser. No. 520,564 Claims priority, appliratign Germany, Feb. 17, 1965,

9 Claims. (l. 2 332) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE The invention relates to a garter for stockings.

Known garters generally comprise four parts, namely a stretchable support strap, a tongue with the stud of a clip mounted on it, a buckle for co-operating with the stud, and a cover strip covering both sides of the clip, i.e. the stud and buckle. Attachment to the stocking is achieved in that the stud, with the welt of the stocking placed over it, is pushed into the buckle. Since the tongue, which may be of flexible plastics material or rubber, is unpleasant for the wearer, and since the metal or plastics buckle member presses on the wearer, also since the use of such a garter is impossible anyway in the case of skin allergy, the clip is covered by a soft textile cover stn'p, generally a strip of taifeta, which masks both the top and bottom of the clip. One end of the cover strip passes through a fixing web or cross-member of the buckle, so that the arms of the cover strip which is folded in V-formation grip the clip between them. The cover strip is secured by a few stitches in the region of the fixing web of the buckle.

The several components of these garters require special connecting elements for interconnection and their manufacture involves several processes. The separate manufacture of the components and the work of assembling these are expensive and involved. Also, the buckle which requires a plurality of apertures or xing webs for the stud, the support strap, the tongue and the cover strip, is consequently of complicated shape. In addition to the loop-shaped opening in which the stud is inserted and gripped, an opening is needed through which the tongue can pass and be attached; a further aperture is required in the buckle through which the support strap can be passed and secured and through which the cover strip is generally also passed.

The invention aims to provide a simplified garter, the manufacture of which calls for fewer components and assembly operations.

According to the invention, the stud s carried by the cover strip itself. Thus, the tongue which hitherto served for attachment of the stud becomes superfluous. The shape of the buckle can' therefore also be simplified. Apart from the opening for engaging the stud, only one other opening is required through which the support strap is passed and secured and through which it is expedient also to pass the cover strip.

It is convenient to use for the cover strip a soft strip of textile material which, when folded into V-Shape,

3,401,406 Patented Sept. 17, 1968 receives the buckle between its layers. The stud is applied to the inside of one of these layers. The soft textile covering provides satisfactory padding against the skin of the wearer. This is particularly true if the surface of the cover strip carries a layer of bulky wadding.

It is advantageous to glue or weld the stud to the cover strip, and to apply the buckle to the cover strip by adhesion or welding. Not only is a rapid and satisfactory attachment of these components thereby achieved, but the cover strip retains its outward softness. The padding action of the cover strip remains virtually unalected.

It is recommended to make the cover strip from elastic material. It can then stretch as the garter is being worn, whereby the stud is drawn securely into the buckle. Also, the cover strip and the support strap can be manufactured from the same textile material. In this way, the garter is given a uniform and attractive appearance over its entire length.

Examples of the invention are shown in the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. l shows the lower part of a garter, in longitudinal cross-section taken on the line I-I of FIG. 2;

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the garter of FIG. l; and

FIGS. 3 and 4 are longitudinal cross-sections of modications.

The garter shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 comprises an elastic support strap 3, a buckle or buckle member 4 and a cover strip 5. The cover strip 5 is doubled over in V-formation, its two layers 6 and 7 enclosing the buckle 4. At a distance corresponding to the length of the loop in the buckle 4, the stud 8 is attached to the inside of one layer 7 of the strip. The cover strip 5 is a textile product -made from polyamide.

The stud 8 is attached in that its base plate 9 is welded to the layer 7 as indicated at 10 in FIG. l by chain-dotted lines and in FIG. 2 by the cross-hatching 10.

The cover strip 5 is passed through an aperture 12 in the mounting portion 11 of the buckle 4 and welded to the buckle 4 at 13. The position of this weld 13 is indicated in FIG. 1 by a chain-dotted line and in FIG. 2 by cross-hatching.

The aperture 12 in the buckle 4 also serves for attachment of the support strap 3 which, in the present case, is formed as a two-layer band which passes through the aperture 12 and of which the layers 14, 15 are spread V-wise. The two ends (not shown in the drawing) of the layers 14, 15 of the support strap are attached to a garment such as a corset, garter belt or girdle.

In order to give the garter a uniform appearance, the same elastic textile material is used for making both the cover strip 5 and the support strap 3.

In the embodiments of FIGS. 3 and 4, the garter is of similar construction and the same reference numerals are used but with reference indices.

In FIG. 3, the support strap 3 is a two-layer band, the layers 14', 15 of which are directly superposed. The support strap 3 passes through an aperture 12 in the part 11' of the buckle 4'. At the place where the support strap 3 covers a web 16 of the buckle 4, the strap is welded on bothsides to the buckle, as indicated at 17 by a chain-dotted line.

In FIG. 4, the end 16 of the buckle remote from the stud 8, the str-ap 3 is bifurcated. Two separate layers 14", 15 of support strap 3" are introduced into the bifurcation 18". They can be exactly superposed or may be spread in V-formation. The ends of the two layers 14", 15" which are introduced into the bifurcation 18" lare at that place welded to the buckle 4". The position of this weld 17 is indicated by a chain-dotted line in FIG. 4.

The invention is not limited to the illustrated embodiments. Variations are possible. For example, instead of being a two-layer strap, the support strap can be of a single layer. In this case, it could likewise be welded to the buckle.

There would not then fbe any need to provide an aperture in the buckle through which the support strap has to pass. Also, it is possible to attach the buckle and stud by adhesion instead of by welding. Further, it is conceivable to make the cover strip and the support strap from different materials.

I claim:

1. A garter, particularly for stockings and the like, comprising a buckle member having a section formed with an opening including a wider portion and an adjoining narrower portion; a supporting strap secured to `said buckle member and adapted to be attached to a garment; and a single elongated cover strip member doubled back upon itself as to provide two strip portions overlying one another and having juxtaposed inner faces, at least one of said buckle and cover strip members consisting of weldable material and said buckle member being received between said strip portions of said cover strip member and welded to said cover strip member and one of said strip portions carrying on the inner face thereof a stud receivable in said wider portion of said opening and adapted to be wedged into said narrower portion of the same.

2. A garter as dened in claim 1, wherein said buckle member is elongated and comprises spaced end portions, said buckle member being provided in one of said end portions with a slot extending transversely of the elongation of the buckle member and said opening extending in the direction of elongation of the buckle member fro-m said one towards the other end portion; and wherein said strip portions overlie said buckle member on opposite sides of the latter.

3. A garter as defined in claim 1, wherein said buckle member said cover strip member consist of weldable material, and wherein said cover strip member is welded to said buckle member at an end portion of the latter.

4. A garter as defined in claim 3, wherein said support strap also consists of wefdable material, and wherein said support strap is welded to said buckle member at `said end portion thereof.

5. A garter as defined in claim 4, wherein said end portion of said buckle :member is provided with a groove of substantially V-shaped cross-section, said support strap being partially received in said groove and being welded therewithin to said buckle member.

6. A garter as defined in claim 1, wherein said strip portions have respective free ends, and wherein said 'buckle member is wel-ded to said cover strip member at a location remote `from s-aid free ends of said strip portions.

7. A garter as dened in claim 1, wherein Vsaid `cover strip member consists of an elastic material.

8. A garter as dened in claim l, wherein said cover strip member consists of a textile material.

9. A garter as defined in claim 1, wherein each of said strip portions has an exposed surface facing outwardly away from said buckle member; and further comprising padding means provided on said exposed surface of at least one of said strip portions.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,847,580 3/1932 Vorwerk 24-245 r 1,848,722 3/1932 Jacobs 24-245 2,070,016 2/1937 Lipton 2-300 2,642,578 6/1953 Marchese 2-300 3,052,006 9/1962 Jonas 24-245 FOREIGN PATENTS 662,403 8/ 1929 France. 1,064,456 5/1954 France.

JORDAN FRANKLIN, Primary Examiner.

G. V. LARKIN, Assistant Examiner. 

